


Unnecessary Assumptions

by teh_ginger6



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-24
Updated: 2017-12-03
Packaged: 2019-01-04 21:14:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12176697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teh_ginger6/pseuds/teh_ginger6
Summary: Rafael goes over to Carmen's apartment to pick up a case file and gets more than just paperwork out of the trip.





	1. Carmen's Party

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first attempt at writing an SVU fic. So, if the character's are not completely how they should be, my bad. I hope you enjoy!

Rafael Barba sat at his apartment trying to decide whether or not to call his secretary, Carmen, on one of her rare nights off. He was missing a case file that he wanted to look over before he retired for the night and he had a sinking suspicion that Carmen put the file in her messenger bag by accident. Rafael knew that his secretary wouldn’t mind if he went over to get the file. She was a homebody so he also knew that she would be home on a Friday night. Rafael’s inability to take the night off won out and he pulled out his phone to dial Carmen’s number. As usual, she answered on the first ring. 

“Go for Carmen,” she said and then chuckled slightly. Rafael frowned at Carmen’s casual demeanor. She was usually very professional. 

“Carmen, it’s Barba. I’m sorry to bother you at home.”

“It’s okay, sir. What do you need?” The frown disappeared from Rafael’s face when Carmen sounded like her usual self. 

“I’m missing a case file. Did you happen to grab it by mistake while we were both packing up to leave the office?” He heard some shouting in the background and assumed it was her TV. Carmen had mentioned once, in passing, that she had her television on every minute she was home for background noise. 

“Hold on, sir. Let me check,” she said and then the phone went silent for a minute. “Yep, I’ve got it. Do you need me to bring it to you? If I’m being honest, it might not be a good idea for me to leave the apartment. I’ve-uh-I’ve been drinking some. I would feel more comfortable staying here and bringing it to you tomorrow.” 

The frown found its way back onto his face when she mentioned drinking. To his knowledge, Carmen barely touched alcohol. “If it wouldn’t inconvenience you too much I could come by real quick and grab it. I know I’m the last person you want to see…” he trailed off when he heard her shushing the background noise. 

“No, it’s completely fine, Mr. Barba. You have my address, right?” 

“Yes, I do. I’ll be there as soon as I can.” He hung up the phone without saying goodbye. 

It took Rafael less than fifteen minutes to get to Carmen’s apartment. She didn’t live too far from his townhouse. When he got there he pressed the button for her apartment, but no one answered. Rafael tried Carmen’s phone and almost gave up when she didn’t pick up. He was lucky enough to still be standing on her stoop when a couple of drunk twenty something year olds stumbled through the complex’s front door. He held the door open as they came through. Finding the elevator wasn’t difficult. Rafael thought about taking the stairs for a second, but exhaustion and laziness won out. He could hear the music as soon as he stepped off the elevator. It was some pop song that he sort of recognized. He followed the music to Carmen’s apartment. Rafael knocked on the door loudly and hoped that someone had heard the noise. The door was opened by a man that Rafael did not recognize. Before Rafael could voice his reasons for showing up the man pulled him into the apartment . Carmen’s apartment was filled to the brim with people. Rafael scanned the main room for his secretary. 

“Barba!” 

Rafael’s head whipped around to the left to see Carmen smiling with her arms up in the air. As she came towards him, Rafael prepared himself to handle what appeared to be a drunken Carmen.  
“You came!” She squealed and staggered into him. He put his arms out to steady her. 

“Whoa, maybe you should sit down,” He practically had to scream at her so she was able to hear him over the music. 

She waved him off, “I’m good.” 

“Your definition of good and mine are completely different at this moment, Carmen,” he said wearily.

His tone caused her to sober up some. “Sorry, counselor,” she tried to regain her professional demeanor. He knew, however, that his normally all business secretary was gone for the remainder of the evening. 

“Carmen, it’s okay, really. I just came for the case file. If you tell me where it is I can grab it and let you get back to your party.” He wanted to ask what they were celebrating, but he just assumed it was a party without reason. The kind that Rafael rarely attended. 

“It’s my roommate’s 30th birthday,” she said and he caught a glimpse of the Carmen he knew when she supplied the information without him having to ask. 

“Point me in her direction before I leave and I will offer her my condolences,” he glanced curiously around the room. Rafael was trying to work out which one of these inebriated people was the birthday girl.

“Oh, she’s probably in her room. Auden doesn’t really like these kinds of parties. I just think she humors me,” Carmen said as she began walking away from Rafael. He followed her deeper into the apartment to where he assumed her room was located. “My bag is in my room. You can come in if you want.” Carmen stepped into her room and Rafael debated on whether or not he should cross that boundary. His curiosity got the better of him.

Rafael cautiously stepped into Carmen’s room. He looked around while she was going through her bag. “I swear I just had it,” he heard her say.

“Please tell me it’s there. I would hate to have come over here for nothing,” Rafael said and immediately regretted his words when he saw tears well up in Carmen’s eyes.

“It’s not here, sir. I’m so sorry. I will tear this place apart, I promise. I will find it.” She sat down on her bed shoulders slumped.

Rafael could not stand it when a woman cried so he sat next to Carmen and awkwardly patted her back. “It isn’t a big deal, Carmen. I can have copies sent over to me tomorrow from the office. Don’t let this ruin your party mood,” he said as gentle as he could. 

“I just don’t know what happened. You called and I checked and it was here and now it’s not and I’m the worst secretary…”

Rafael cut her off, “You are not even close to being the worst. I’ve had plenty of terrible secretaries, but you are not on that list. If anything, you’re probably the best I’ve had.” Rafael put her arm around Carmen and let her lean into him. He knew he had crossed into a highly inappropriate area, but all he wanted to do was make sure that Carmen cheered up relatively soon. He heard her sniffle a couple of times before she pulled away.

“Thank you, Rafael.” She smiled a genuine Carmen smile at him and he couldn’t be mad that she used his first name.

“Let’s just try to not make this a frequent thing,” he said as he stood up off her bed. He heard a cough from her doorway and quickly turned to see who was there. 

A woman with auburn hair was leaning against the door frame in her pajamas with a folder in her hand. “I’m sorry to interrupt,” she began, “But, I think this is yours.” She held out the folder to him. It had been a long time since Rafael had been immediately floored by someone he just met. Something fluttered inside of him, but he pushed those thoughts and feelings aside. It wouldn’t do any good to act in an unprofessional manner in this situation. 

“Oh my god!” Carmen jumped up off her bed. “I gave it to you for safe keeping!” She ran over and hugged the girl with the auburn hair before Rafael could grab the folder. 

“You’re welcome. Did you forget I had it or something?” The girl said into Carmen’s shoulder. 

Carmen pulled away and said, “Kind of.” 

“No kind of,” Rafael said, “You definitely thought you lost it.” 

“I guess that’s why I have the folder in the first place.” The girl smiled at Rafael and then handed the folder to him again. This time he grabbed it. 

“I’m going to assume that you are the birthday girl.” He said as he opened the folder to make sure it was the one he needed. 

“That’s me. At least for another few hours. I’m Auden Green.” She reached out her hand.

“Rafael Barba.” He took her offered hand and shook it. 

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Barba. I’ve heard great things.” She pulled her hand away and Rafael raised an eyebrow in Carmen’s direction.

“No bad things? Carmen hasn’t mentioned how irritable I can get or how no human could possibly consume as much coffee as I do?” He praised himself when Auden smiled widely at him. Her smile was something he wanted to see more of, but he couldn’t figure out why. 

“Well, it might have come up, but since I have both of those qualities it would be hypocritical of me to judge.” Her smile never faltered as they both kept eye contact for longer than strangers should. They didn’t notice Carmen smile at them and squeeze past Auden to head back to the party.

“I highly doubt that you drink as much coffee as me,” Rafael said challenging the implication in her statement. 

“I highly doubt we will ever find out who is the true coffee addict. Our experiences are, unfortunately, separate and completely our own. So, even if we had a coffee drinking contest and I won…and I would win, you wouldn’t accept it due to your own bias.” Her words were quick and Rafael found himself wanting to have that contest because it meant spending a whole day in the intriguing woman’s company. 

“I suppose we will never know. So, you’ll have to excuse my lame attempt to further the conversation by changing the subject, but I didn’t see you enjoying the festivities. Shouldn’t you be drinking yourself into a coma right about now? I’m pretty sure I got alcohol poisoning on my 30th birthday.” Rafael noticed Auden shift uncomfortably. He also noticed that they were still standing in Carmen’s room without her.

“Not all of us partake in these kinds of festivities.” Auden looked behind her to the revelry happening in the front of the apartment. 

He followed her eyes and spotted Carmen dancing, if you could call it that, with the random guy who opened the door for him earlier. “I didn’t think that Carmen was one of those people either, to be honest.” 

“She’s not, usually.” Arden turned her attention back to Rafael and laughed when she fully took in the situation. 

“What?” Rafael was unsure of himself for the first time tonight. He was surprised that it took him this long to be out of his element.

“You’re still in your peacoat. It makes me think that is a good description of who you are as a person. You’re at a party still fully dressed from the harsh winter outside. That peacoat seems sort of like a protector from more than just the cold.” Her insight put him on edge. 

“Do you often make unnecessary assumptions about strangers or is that something new you’re trying out? Either way, it’s not working for you.” Rafael started to move past her to leave the situation he could feel his face heat up as his defensiveness kicked in. 

“Mr. Barba, please hold on.” Auden’s gentler tone stopped him, but he didn’t turn around right away. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have made any observations out loud. Carmen told me to stop doing that, but it seems to be more of a habit than anything else these days. Being insightful about other people is how I keep other people from being insightful about me. Does that make sense? Is it even being insightful if the observations I make are wrong?” She trailed off when he still didn’t turn around. 

“You weren’t entirely incorrect.” That statement was the most vulnerable thing that Rafael Barba had said in years to a complete stranger.

“Oh, now don’t say that. It just reinforces my habit of making unnecessary assumptions.” Auden smirked at Rafael as he turned to face her finally.

“Dios mío, you sound like a psychologist.” He smirked back at her.

“That’s probably because I am.” Auden’s smirk turned into a fully fledged smile when she saw him over dramatically roll his eyes and sigh. “Well, I’m training to be anyway. I have a year left on my PhD. Which, is why I was not partaking in the festivities.” 

“Too much work to do?” Rafael felt for her. He could remember the nights he forwent going out so he could study for the bar. 

“Mr. Barba, there will always be too much work to do for me. This is just the beginning.” He noticed that when she said this she looked more tired than she had just a moment ago. 

“I will let you get back to it then,” Rafael turned once again to leave her standing alone in the hallway. 

“Mr. Barba, I’ve been studying for five hours straight. I could use a break. Care to join me in my room for a beverage of the adult variety?” Auden fiddled with the hem of her sweater nervously. 

Rafael couldn’t explain why, but he felt as though this was one of those forks in the road moments in life. He could go home to his empty townhouse and work, like he usually did on Friday nights, or he could stay and have a drink. One of the paths had more bumps on it than the other. Without thinking too much, Rafael chose the bumpy path. 

“That would be tolerable, but por el amor de Dios, stop calling me ‘Mr. Barba’.”

“I can do that, Rafael.” Auden put a great deal of emphasis on his name before walking over to her door. “Try not to criticize the mess too much. You look like you’re ridiculously neat.” She opened her door and led him into her bedroom.

He followed her while making a point to take his coat off. “There you go again. Making unnecessary assumptions.” 

She turned and raised and pointed to his clothes. He was still in his three piece suit from court today. “Am I wrong?” Rafael didn’t dignify that with a response. Instead, he took off his suit jacket and put it on top of his coat that he had laid neatly on her bed. “That’s what I thought. So, Rafael, what are we drinking? In here I have a couple bottles of Pinot Grigio. Or, if you prefer more hardcore adult beverages, I can go out into the assault on senses happening in the living room to scavenge for some Whiskey. I believe Carmen bought some recently.” 

Rafael sat down on her bed, which was the only place to sit in her room besides her desk chair. The chair in question was being occupied by some books. “Wine is fine. I wouldn’t want to make anyone attempt to brave that.” 

“What a way to go though.” Auden grabbed the already open bottle of Pinot and poured him some into the glass she had been drinking out of. “I promise I don’t have germs,” she handed him the glass. 

He studied the glass for a moment before throwing caution into the wind. It was a night for adventure, he decided. “That’s not something you can promise. We all have germs.” He sipped the wine slowly. 

“I’m glad you don’t mind. I’m going to be drinking from the bottle it seems. I really don’t want to go back out there right now.” Auden sat down next to him and proceeded to drink straight from the bottle.

“Tell me why you don’t want to attend your own birthday party? Something about school work that you aren’t even doing right now?” Auden’s smile that time was small, but Rafael found that he liked it just the same.

“I told you, not all of us enjoy these types of festivities.” 

“Yes, but that’s still not telling me why.” He heard her mutter something about lawyers being nosy. 

“If you are dying to know, I have social anxiety and I reached my threshold earlier in the evening so I came in here to calm down. Then Carmen burst in freaking out because she told her boss to just come on over to her apartment.” Auden shifted so that she was closer to Rafael.

“Carmen did sound odd on the phone, but I thought she was just stressed from work.” Rafael secretly enjoyed feeling Auden close to him. He hadn’t felt any of the feelings that were bubbling up for years. Not since, Yelina. 

“Oh, you do stress her out often, but she loves it. Carmen thrives in those kinds of situations. Sometimes, she does need a stress relief though. I think that’s what this party was for. I know she wanted to do something nice for me, but she and I both know that this isn’t my idea for a good birthday. I think she needed a reason to get drunk and I was that reason.” Auden took another sip from the bottle and nudged Rafael to drink more from his glass.

He obliged her and then said, “I’m sorry you’re birthday is not your idea of a good one.” 

“No need for that, Rafael. I don’t blame her for needing some kind of release. She’s not the type to drink like this unless there is a celebration involved. Her parents were alcoholics so it makes sense that she would want a solid reason for drinking. I don’t mind being that reason if it helps her.” 

Rafael really looked at Auden for the first time that night. Her eyes were almost amber, but they were soft. There were wrinkles on her face that Rafael assumed she acquired from stress since she still looked so young. The freckles that were scattered across her face matched her eyes and hair perfectly. Rafael had never found himself attracted to someone so much younger than him before. But, there he was, sitting dangerously close to someone who was sixteen years younger than him. “You’re kind,” he heard himself say.

“Thank you. There is so much terrible shit in the world. I don’t want to add to it,” Auden said quietly. 

Rafael raised his glass to her. “Here’s to not adding to the shit.” 

“To not adding to the shit.” She mimicked. 

A bottle and a half of Pinto Grigio later had them both spread out on Auden’s bed. Rafael had taken his waistcoat and shoes off. Auden had shed her sweater and was sporting the tiniest tank top Rafael had seen. 

“What time is it?” Rafael slurred. He usually had a high tolerance for alcohol, but he hadn’t eaten that day. 

“No, that question is not allowed when you’re having fun.” Auden seemed adamant about not knowing the time. 

“It’s gotta be eleven at least. Maybe midnight.” He said, like it was super late in the night. He moved his arm to look at his watch, but Auden grabbed his wrist.

“No, I said no looking.” She kept her hand clasped around his wrist and Rafael couldn’t complain. He thought the demanding tone was sexy. 

He pulled at his arm a little to test her. “What are you gonna do about it? I’m definitely stronger than you.” Rafael didn’t have the chance to test her more because she chose that moment to straddle him and pin his arms above his head. 

“Now, you’ll never know the time.” She tried to laugh maniacally, but failed to do so due to the amount of alcohol she had drank. 

Rafael froze in shock and arousal. He desperately wanted to get his arms free and pull Auden down so he could reach her lips. He wanted to touch every part of her so badly. A part of him faltered as he started to wiggle his hands free. That part of him was the sober part that tried to tell him this was not a good idea. The drunken part of Rafael was not paying attention to anything other than the fact that his hands were free. He reached up and pulled Auden down by the back of her neck. When his lips met hers even the sober part of him knew that all of his inhibitions were gone. Auden moaned into his lips and rocked her hips forward. Rafael groaned as she made contact with the bulge in his pants. 

They made out like that for what seemed like an eternity to Rafael. He was in Heaven with his hands roaming every inch of her he could touch and her mouth on his. When she pulled away Rafael couldn’t control the low growl that escaped his lips. His hips bucked involuntarily as well when she pulled back panting. 

“I’m sorry,” she said as she lay on her back next to him.

“Why?” he asked and rolled on his side so he could look at her. “I’m not.” Rafael tentatively put his hand on her abdomen. 

She rolled over to face him and his hand made contact with the bare skin on her side. Auden closed her eyes as her body responded to his touch. “I don’t,” she tried to speak, but her voice came out hoarse. She cleared her throat. “I don’t normally do this with people that I just met. It’s not my style.” 

“Good,” Rafael said and moved his fingers up her shirt slowly. “It means I’m special.” 

“You’re something.” 

“Do you ever let anyone else have the last word?” Rafael didn’t give her time to answer the question. He dipped his head so their lips would meet again and rolled her onto her back. 

Auden kissed him back with as much eagerness as he was displaying, but after a few seconds she stopped him again. She pushed his chest away and broke the contact with his lips. “Rafael, please stop.” 

Those words sobered him up completely. In an instant he was off of her and as far away as he could manage without falling off the bed. “Are you okay? Did I do something wrong?” 

Auden remembered in that moment what part of the NYPD he worked with. She pulled him closer to her so he would feel better about the situation. “You’re fine. You didn’t do anything I didn’t want. I just think it’d be better if we did this later when there isn’t as much alcohol involved. I don’t know about you, but I want to remember everything.” 

Rafael’s shoulders relaxed. “I understand.” 

“That doesn’t mean that we can’t cuddle. I don’t mean to toot my own horn, but I’m pretty good at it.” Auden scooted up to the top of the bed and got under the covers as much as she could with him still on top of the comforter. 

“I’m better,” Rafael said. He moved to get under the covers. Once they were both settled, with Rafael on his back and Auden sprawled across him, Rafael felt himself drifting off. He barely noticed that Auden had let him have the last word.


	2. The Morning After

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rafael and Auden wake up and are presented with the decision to face or ignore reality.

Rafael woke to the bed shifting and Auden snuggling closer to him. He squeezed her body tighter which elicited a content sigh from her. Rafael smiled as he replayed the night in his head. He hadn’t just fooled around with a woman without it leading to sex since he was in college. For him, it was nice to not have any expectations for how things should happen. He tried not to think about the fact that Auden was sixteen years his junior and his secretary’s roommate. Rafael did something he almost never did. He took a moment to really focus on the present. Auden’s body fit perfectly against his. Her hair was partially covering her face, but he could see her brow was furrowed. He wondered if she was having a bad dream. Before he has the chance to think about it he noticed Auden’s eyes fluttering open.

“G’mornin,” she said sleepily.

“Morning,” Rafael replied with a smile. She was cute when she was waking up.

“This doesn’t feel awkward.” Auden looked up at him. “I thought it would be.”

“No, it doesn’t,” he agreed.

She only ‘hmmed’ in response. 

“Would you like for it to be awkward? I could gently pull away from you and we could exchange numbers with the promise we will call each other, but never do?”

Auden laughed softly. “Yeah, let’s not do that.”

“What should we do then? I’ve only ever been good at the awkward part.” Rafael met Auden’s eyes and held his gaze while she pretended to think.

“How about we get out of bed, get some coffee, and go from there?”

The promise of coffee made getting out of bed a little bit easier. He hated to admit it, but Auden and her bed were incredibly comfortable. He wasn’t sure he was prepared to face the outside world again after feeling her warmth.

Auden sensed Rafael’s hesitation, “No offense to you, but coffee is way better than anything we could do in here.”

He pulled away from her in the attempt to appear affronted by her comment. She chose that moment to get out of bed so she could get coffee started. “Come on, Mr. Barba. I’m sure Carmen needs coffee right about now too.”

Reality came rushing back to Rafael the second that Carmen’s name reached his ears. He could feel his walls being put back into place.

“Don’t do that,” Auden said when she saw his posture stiffen. He shot her a confused look. “Seriously, Rafael. Please don’t freak out on me.”

“Who says I’m freaking out? There is that assumption problem you have again.” Rafael said as he ssat up in bed.

“Two minutes ago it was obvious that you wanted to stay in bed with me and now it looks like you are one display of affection away from bolting.” Auden was direct and honest with her words.

Rafael was only used to his mother calling him out like that. His face softened and his shoulders slumped a little. “You’re right. I’m sorry, Auden. You don’t deserve to be treated that way.” He felt bad for causing the frown that formed on her face.

“It’s okay. I actually understand that it has nothing to do with me. I’m just glad you are willing to listen to me. But, all of this doesn’t matter right now. The only thing that matters is getting coffee into my body.” She smiled at him before leaving the room.

He took a moment to compose himself before following her out into the rest of the apartment. Rafael winced when he came across the mess in her living room. There were plastic red cups and empty food containers on every available surface. Luckily, for him, Carmen was nowhere in sight. He was hoping that she would sleep in late. Rafael walked toward where he thought the kitchen area was located. He came upon a welcoming sight. Auden was sitting on top of the kitchen island with her back to him. He could smell and hear the coffee brewing in the pot that, he assumed, she was staring intently at. Auden turned her head toward him when he came to stand next to her. “Yesterday if you would have told me that I would meet someone with a stronger need for coffee than me, I would have scoffed. But, today I am content to be proven wrong.”

She nudged him with her elbow, “Don’t underestimate a graduate student and their need for caffeinated beverages.”

“I’ll try to remember that,” Rafael said as he moved to stand facing Auden with his body enclosed by her legs. He ran his hands up her arms and debated on kissing her again, but was unsure of himself. Auden didn’t hesitate to make that decision for him. She bent down and pressed her lips to his. The moment their lips touched they both moaned automatically at the sensation. They gently kissed until they both heard the beep of the coffee maker. Auden pulled away and patted him on the chest.

“Rafael, as much as I enjoy kissing you coffee is too important to ignore.”

“You’re not wrong, _querida_.” Rafael noticed a blush form on her cheeks and raised an eyebrow at her. “Something the matter?”

Auden opened her mouth and then closed it without saying anything. She shook her head and pushed him away from her so she could hop down off the counter. “ _¿Querida?_ ” He heard her mumble something while she busied herself with getting coffee mugs from the cabinet above the coffee maker. “I’m sorry? You’ll have to use your words if you want me to understand you.”

“It’s the Spanish.” She said quickly.

“It bothers you when I switch languages?” He asked confused.

“’Bothers’ isn’t the word I would use, Rafael.” She poured coffee into both mugs and then walked over to the refrigerator. “Do you take any cream or sugar?”

“Both.” He said while watching her awkwardly move about her own kitchen. “What word would you use?”

“I don’t know if there is one word that accurately describes what it does to me.” She poured some creamer into both of their bugs, but only put sugar into his. Auden preferred coffee that didn’t have a sickeningly sweet taste to it.

“Luckily, we have multiple words that you can put together to form what we call a sentence.” His face was smug as she handed over his coffee.

“I hope you burn your tongue,” she said half jokingly.

“You can defer all you want. Eventually, you will concede.” He sipped his coffee and waited for Auden to tell him what bothered her about his first language. Given the blush and awkwardness he had a feeling it was something of a sexual nature.

Auden sighed and knew she might as well tell him. “It’s just something my body does when you casually slip into Spanish. I’ve never really experienced my body react to words like that before, but ugh, Rafael, it makes me shiver.”

“¿Que debemos hacer con eso?”

“I don’t even know what you just said, but I do know that I want you to not do that so I can drink my coffee without wanting to ravish the incredibly sexy man in my kitchen.” Auden gave him a pleading look over her coffee mug as she leaned back against the kitchen counter. Rafael was about to ignore her request when Carmen entered the kitchen. Rafael was disappointed by the interruption, but he could see that Auden felt relieved. For a moment he considered that he wasn’t the only one who had issues with intimacy.

Carmen ignored them and went straight to the coffee maker. She got a mug from the cabinet and poured her a cup without uttering a word. Auden and Rafael exchanged an amused glance. “Morning, Carmen.” Auden said quietly.

Carmen finally paid attention to her environment. Her eyes settled on Rafael and widened. “Mr. Barba!”

“Carmen,” he said simply. Rafael had to admit that it was entertaining to see his usually put together assistant so flustered.

“You’re in my apartment,” she said.

“I am.”

“I should probably already know why you’re in my apartment, shouldn’t I?” Carmen got two nods in response. “Shit.”

“Do you really not remember anything from last night?” Auden asked her.

“I wish I did.” Carmen took in Rafael’s lack of suit jacket, his bare feet, and his disheveled appearance. “We didn’t…” she trailed off hoping she wouldn’t have to voice the rest of her question. Rafael wanted to mess with his secretary, but the look in her eyes stopped him. She looked on the verge of crying.

“No, Carmen. I came over to grab the case file that you accidentally put in your bag.” The immediate relief that washed over her face almost hurt his pride.

“So you came over, got the file, and stayed because…”she trailed off again as she tried to think logically. Auden and Rafael shared a look that Carmen caught. “Nope,” Carmen said shaking her head. “I don’t need any details. I’m just going to pretend none of this happened. We will go back to work tomorrow and everything will be normal, right?”

“Of course, Carmen. We are both professional and I don’t see this affecting our work relationship at all.” Rafael’s words were sincere.

“Okay,” Carmen said and then turned to Auden. “Happy Day After Your birthday. I’m going back to bed, but let’s have lunch as soon as I can function.” Without giving Auden time to respond, she headed back to her room.

“That was also less awkward than I expected,” Auden said as she moved to stand beside Rafael.  

They drank their coffee in silence, both enjoying their addiction and ignoring the fact that eventually they would need to talk about things. It wasn’t until Auden finished her first cup that either of them spoke. Rafael observed her as she began to make herself another cup. “You don’t even pause between cups, do you?”

“I wasn’t kidding when I told you I would win the amount of coffee drank in a day contest.”

“Besides drinking coffee what do you plan on doing today?”

“Well, I need to work on my dissertation. That's what I was working on last night, but someone crashed my party.” Auden teased Rafael and he didn’t mind at all.

“As I recall, someone invited the party crasher into her room for a study break. It’s not the party crasher’s fault that she didn’t get back to work.”

“Hearsay,” Auden said. She leaned back against the island. “I really only need to do that today. Why do you ask?”

“I have an extremely rare day off today and was hoping you might want to have dinner with me.” Rafael waited anxiously for her response. He hadn’t put himself out there in years and he even caught himself off guard by asking her out. He had planned on using this day to go over his notes for the upcoming trial, but Auden had thrown a wrench into his plan. He had a feeling that wouldn’t be the first time she did that.

“I could do dinner. Nothing fancy though. You look like the guy who orders steak at a classy bar.” Rafael stayed silent at her accurate assumption. “Oh my god, you are one of those guys!” He felt his face heat up.

“It’s not something I do often.”

“It’s okay. I didn’t mean to be judgmental. I’m sure you have great taste in a lot of things. I’m just not the type of girl you see in those places. I’m a diner and cafe kind of gal.” She left out the fact that the fancier places made her feel insignificant.

“So, no fancy places. I can do that.” Rafael would do anything to adapt to Auden’s wants. Worst case scenario he could always call Benson for advice. “If you give me your phone number I can call you with the details a little later.”

“Of course.” Auden set her mug down on the counter, opened one of the drawers under the counter top, and pulled out a pad & pen set. After she wrote her number down on the paper, she ripped it off and handed it to Rafael. He took it without hesitation.

“Thank you, Auden. I really should be going.”

“Well, let me walk you out. Don’t forget to grab your file from my room.” She said and followed him out of the kitchen.

“I have to go into your room to grab the rest of my things so I’ll be sure to get it.” “I’m going to stay out here, if that’s okay. If I follow you into a room with a bed there is a chance I won’t let you leave.” She winked at him before sitting on the sofa in the living room.

“I will just be a minute then.” Rafael left the living room and disappeared into her room.

True to his word, Rafael was only gone for a minute. When he returned he was bundled up in his pea coat. He couldn’t help the smile that formed on his face when he heard Auden mumble something about “defense mechanisms”. She stood up and faced him. Auden wrapped her arms around his middle. He circled his arms around her in response. They hugged for a few seconds and both of them were saddened when Auden pulled away.

“The sooner you leave the sooner we can have dinner in a non fancy place.” She led him to the front door and opened it for him.

“I can’t argue with your logic. Just one more thing,” he paused.

“Yeah?”

“ _No puedo esperar a verte de nuevo_.” Rafael walked away before Auden could have the last word.

Auden closed the door after he walked away. She surveyed the damage to her living room. She knew she should leave the mess for Carmen, but Auden couldn’t work in a messy environment. So, instead of going to her room to work she decided to spend the day cleaning and thinking of everything that had happened in the past 24 hours. She didn't check her phone until after the living room was clear of waste. When she did get a chance to check her messages there was one from Rafael. It read: “ _My tongue is definitely burnt. I blame you_.” She smiled at her screen. Rafael Barba was definitely something. 


	3. Carmen's Advice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carmen gives Auden some advice on how to impress Rafael Barba.

Auden spent most of her day cleaning the apartment while ignoring the pressing need to work on her dissertation. She hadn’t noticed how gross their apartment really was until she was on her hands and knees scrubbing a stain out of their carpet. The stain didn’t stand a chance against her cleaning prowess. Around noon Carmen finally came out of her bedroom freshly showered and fully dressed.

“You and I are going to lunch,” she said to Auden who was sitting on the couch after getting the living room back in order.

“We are?” Auden looked up from her phone. She was about to text Rafael when Carmen demanded her attention.

“We are. Partly for your birthday, but mainly so you can tell me what the hell happened last night that caused you to hook up with my boss.” Carmen gave her roommate an amused look.

“I’m really glad that you are choosing to have a good attitude about this. I was afraid you were going to come out swinging.” Auden slipped her phone into her pocket deciding to text Rafael later. It had been awhile since her and Carmen had time off together so she wanted to be able to give Carmen her full attention.

“Yeah, cause I’m the type to use my fists.” Carmen plopped down on the couch next to Auden. “But, let’s do lunch right now. My stomach is trying to eat itself.”

Auden chuckled at Carmen and then said, “I could eat. I’ve had about five cups of coffee so far. Food might be a good idea."

“So…where should we eat?” Auden groaned over dramatically at the thought of having to make a decision of any kind. “Please, Auden. You know how bad I am at deciding where we should eat.” Carmen looked at her roommate with the saddest eyes she could muster.

“Junior’s?” Auden knew she had made a good choice when Carmen’s eyes lit up.

“Yes! The fries there are the greasiest. Do you need some time or can we leave now?”

“I just need to change clothes real quick and then we can head out.” Auden got up from the couch and went to her room to pick out an outfit for the day. It took her a few minutes to decide upon dark blue jeans from American Eagle, a black t-shirt sporting her favorite band, and a dark gray cardigan. Auden came out of her room to find Carmen at the door with her shoes and winter coat already on. “I guess you are ready to go?” Auden asked as she walked over to the shoe rack by the door. She grabbed her red converse from the rack and went over to the couch to put them on.

“I’m not even going to pretend to have patience right now, Auden.” Carmen crossed her arms and watched Auden put on her shoes.

“Like you have ever done that, Car. Luckily for you, I am also ready to go.” Auden walked to the door, grabbed her coat and purse from the coat rack, and motioned for Carmen to lead the way. Carmen happily led them both out of their apartment in search of food.

It took them twenty-two minutes to get to Junior’s (Carmen timed it) and when they got there it wasn’t as packed as they thought it would be for a Saturday. They only had to wait ten minutes for a table. They both made sure that they were ready to order as soon as the waiter came over.

After he had left to get their order put in Carmen lightly kicked Auden under the table. “Spill,” Carmen said leaving no question to what she wanted Auden to talk about.

“Can’t we at least wait until we get our drinks and food?” A part of Auden wanted to tell her everything, but the selfish part of her wanted to keep her experience with Rafael to herself.

“I’ll give you until the waiter returns with our beverages.” As soon as Carmen ended her sentence their waiter, Ben, came up to their table carrying both of their Dr. Pepper’s. “Ben, you have perfect timing.” Carmen said while smirking at Auden.

“Uh, thanks, ma’am. Your order should be ready soon. Please let me know if you need anything else.” Ben left them to check on another one of his tables.

Carmen looked at Auden across the table smugly, “You know if you don’t tell me I guess I could always ask Mr. Barba.”

Auden’s eyes became wide at the thought of Carmen and Rafael talking about her at the office. “Not necessary, Car. You know I always tell you everything that happens in my life.”

“True, but you usually gush about guys as soon as they leave the apartment. Remember the time you woke me up just to tell me how good of a kisser Emmet Samuels was?”

Auden got a dreamy look on her face at the mention of her ex-boyfriend. “He was a good kisser.”

Carmen kicked her again. “Don’t get sidetracked. We are here to discuss what happened last night.”

“I thought we were here to get food,” Auden’s cheeky tone caused Carmen to groan. 

"Seriously, tell me.” Carmen’s voice was close to sounding whiny.

“Okay, but you cannot tell anyone else. This stays between me and you. That means no talking to Rafael about it either.” Auden tried to sound as serious as possible. She didn’t even know if anything would come of her night with Rafael. She didn’t want to jinx it.

“You know I can keep a secret.” Carmen took a sip from her soda and thanked whatever higher power there was for the existence of caffeine.

Auden began telling Carmen everything that had happened the night before. She finished her story just as their food arrived. When Auden smelled the burger and fries that Ben placed in front of her she sighed in contentment. Carmen did the same when her plate was placed in front of her. She had ordered the exact same thing as her roommate.

“Food was a good idea, Car.” Auden said.

“I have some good ideas now and then. So, are you going to see him again?” Carmen asked as soon as Auden took a bite of her burger.

Auden nodded and held up a finger as she chewed. When she finished the bite she said, “Yeah, he is taking me out tonight.”

“You couldn’t have told me that earlier?! We need to take you shopping immediately.” Carmen’s panicked look and tone confused Auden.

“Why would we do that?”

“To buy you an outfit that is appropriate for a date with Rafael Barba. No offense, honey, but nothing you own is up to par with that man’s tastes.” Carmen knew her words would hurt Auden, but she wanted her roommate to be prepared for her date with the pretentious ADA.

Auden’s stomach started to feel queasy as she thought about Rafael not honoring their agreement to keep it simple. “He promised we wouldn’t go anywhere fancy. Do you think he would really go against that?”

“One thing I have learned about Rafael Barba is that he does what he wants. He rarely considers other people’s wants or needs. He’s also pretty honest about that aspect of his personality. If that’s something you’re going to have an issue with I don’t know if going on this date is a good idea. I don’t want to see you get hurt.” Carmen kept her words honest and as kind as possible. She knew that Auden was excited to see Barba again, but also knew how selfish her boss could be.

Auden paused for a minute before finally saying, “Let’s finish eating and then you need to help me find something that will dazzle his pompous ass.” Auden knew she shouldn’t give any of her time to someone who would go against her wishes. She did, however, like Rafael and she wanted to show him that she could be on his level.

“Yes! Shopping sounds like such a good way to spend my time off. I love you so much right now.” Carmen was excited at the prospect of engaging in retail therapy.

They ate their lunch as quickly as they could, paid their bill, and began their mission to find Auden an outfit that was way out of Auden’s price range.

After about two hours of shopping Auden settled on the one dress that she could actually stand. Every dress she tried on made her feel like a fraud. The only dress that she felt semi normal in was a tight fitting, navy dress, with crocheted lace going up the sides. Carmen squealed when she saw Auden in the dress and effectively ended their shopping trip by declaring that dress “the one”. Carmen insisted on buying the dress as a birthday present. Auden didn’t feel like arguing with Carmen so she let her.

When they got home half an hour later Auden pulled out her phone to text Rafael. She hadn’t looked at her phone all day and noticed a missed call and three texts from Rafael. He was asking her what time worked for her.

The last message just read: _I’m going to assume your continued silence means that you haven’t had your phone on you or it’s on silent. I will pick you up at 7 pm. See you then, Querida._

She could hear his voice coming through the text and it made her shiver. She sent him a quick text agreeing to the time and then said to Carmen, “I need to go shower real quick, but please say you’ll be here when I get out so you can help me get ready.”

Carmen plopped down on their couch and pulled out her phone, “I’m not going anywhere, hon.”

Auden took her dress into her room, hung it up on her closet door, and grabbed some random sweats to change into after her shower. Knowing that she had about four hours to get ready for her date, Auden took her time showering. She tried to let the hot water ease as much tension as it could. She was nervous about seeing Rafael again.

After half an hour or so Auden decided it was time to get out of the shower. She shut off the shower and shivered involuntarily as she stepped out into the cold air of the bathroom. Auden dried off, changed, and left the bathroom in record time. Auden entered her room and noticed a fresh cup of coffee on her dresser. “I love you!” Auden shouted out into the apartment.

“You better!” Carmen shouted back.

“Hey, this is the part where you save me from myself! Get your butt in here.” Auden hoped Carmen could help her from looking like a train wreck.

It took Carmen and Auden two and half hours to get Auden ready for her date. Auden barely recognized herself in the mirror. Carmen had curled her usually straight hair, did her eye makeup to match the dress, and chose a lipstick that complimented the whole ensemble. “Wow. Carmen, I’m hot.” Auden said while checking herself out in her mirror.

“You have always been hot, babe. But, yeah, you’re smoking right now. If he doesn’t show up I will take you out on the town.” Carmen walked over to Auden’s closet and started to go through her shoes on the closet floor. “We still have to figure out what heels you’re going to wear.”

“Can’t I just wear my black flats?” Auden turned around in her chair, saw the look Carmen was giving her, and winced.

“Heels will accentuate your ass. Which we both know is your best feature.” Carmen groaned at the lack of decent heels in Auden’s closet.

“I don’t really have fancy shoes. We probably should have bought some.” Auden frowned at Carmen.

“Well, you’re in luck. Because, I have just the pair sitting in my closet and they are too small for me. They might fit you.” Carmen got up and left Auden alone in the room. Auden’s phone buzzed on the dresser. She reached up, grabbed it, and smiled at Rafael’s name on her screen.

“Hello?” She answered.

“I just wanted to let you know that I am heading your way earlier than I thought. I’ll be there in about fifteen minutes. Is that okay?” Rafael’s voice sounded huskier on the phone. She tucked that knowledge away for later.

“Of course. I’m pretty much done getting ready anyway. I will see you soon.”

“See you in a few.” Rafael hung up without letting her get the last word in.

Auden got up and walked down the hall to Carmen’s room. “Hey, Car. Rafael is on his way.” Carmen stood up from where she was bent over in front of her closet and held out a pair of ankle boots to Auden.

“Here you go.” Auden took the boots in awe. They were black, velvet, and looked more expensive than all of Auden’s current footwear combined.

“These are beautiful.” Auden sat down on Carmen’s bed to try the boots on.

“Consider them yours. They were a gift from Stephen.” Carmen sat down next to her and then stretched out on her back across the bed.

“You dated him for five years and he didn’t know your shoe size? How did that never come up?” After she made sure the shoes were secure, Auden fell back onto the bed.

“Some things just don’t come up, I guess.”

“Well, I will always know that you wear a size nine.” Auden looked over at Carmen and sighed.

Carmen turned her head to face Auden. “What was the sigh for?”

“I just want you to find a nice guy who appreciates you. That’s all I want for the both of us really.”

Carmen laughed lightly. “We have dated some assholes.”

At that moment a knock resounded throughout their apartment. They both burst out laughing at the timing. “It looks your next asshole has arrived.” Carmen said and then immediately regretted it. “Do not tell him I said that, please. Remember that I work with this man.”

“I can’t promise that you won’t come up in conversation, but I will keep the fact that you called him an asshole a secret,” Auden said before getting up and walking out of Carmen’s room to answer the door.

As she was walking to the door Auden started to feel nervous. She had no idea how to act like she belonged in some upscale restaurant. Auden took a deep breath and then opened the door. Rafael was standing in her doorway carrying a small bouquet of lilies. “I was under the impression you didn’t do fancy,” he said in regards to her appearance.

Auden blushed when she noticed that Rafael was dressed down in a pair of khakis and navy cashmere sweater. “I don’t,” Auden managed to squeak out.

“The hell you don’t. _Te ves preciosa_.” Rafael smiled when Auden’s blush darkened. “May I come in?” Auden stepped aside to let him into her apartment.

She reached out her hand to take the flowers from him as he walked into the living room. “Thank you for these,” she said grabbing the bouquet.

“You’re welcome. I didn’t think you would be a woman who liked roses.”

“And most of the women you date are?” Auden mentally kicked herself as soon as she heard the words come out of her mouth.

Rafael nervously rubbed his neck. “Actually, I don’t really date anyone these days. I’m a little out of practice.”

“I’m sorry, Rafael. I didn’t mean to assume. It’s just that Carmen’s said something earlier and I thought you would come here dressed to the nines and you’re not and I am and….”

“Auden!” Rafael’s exclamation caused her to close her mouth in embarrassment. “It’s okay. You look amazing. I just wanted to show you that I’m not who everyone thinks I am. I can definitely go home, change, and then we can go to a very pretentious place. Or, we can go out and everyone can look at us and try to figure out how I got so lucky to be your date for the evening.”

“Okay.” Auden said quietly.

“Okay to which of those plans?”

“The second one. Let me just put these in a vase and we can go.” Auden didn’t give him a chance to say anything else. She went into the kitchen to put the flowers in water.

Rafael was standing in the living room waiting for Auden to come back when Carmen came down the hall.

“Mr. Barba, you look…” she paused as she thought of a good word to use. “Relaxed.”

“Thank you, Carmen.” Rafael replied.

“I didn’t know you had any regular clothes.” Carmen felt bad that she had misjudged her boss.

“Contrary to popular belief, I’m not as rigid as most people think.” Rafael was used to people having an incorrect view of him.

“Good. Don’t hurt her.” Carmen said seriously. Auden came back into the living room before Rafael could reassure Carmen of his intentions and gave Carmen a piercing look.

“I’ll be back, but you and I are talking when I get home.”

“Yes, ma’am. Have fun, kids!” Carmen said and then left them in the living room alone.

“Are you ready?” Auden asked him.

Rafael took all of Auden’s appearance in and gulped before saying, “Not even a little bit.”


	4. The Date

Auden felt like her date with Rafael ended too quickly despite the fact that they were out for five hours. Dinner had only taken up two of those hours. Auden was pleased with Rafael’s restaurant choice. He was blushing when he admitted that he had to ask one of his coworkers for help. His coworker had told him about the intimate Italian place on 2nd Avenue. Auden had heard of the place before, but the name sounded too upscale for her. 'Uva' just sounded like it catered to millionaires. Auden was okay with being proven wrong. It was a restaurant that had a warm, cozy feel to it. They ate dinner slowly so they could take the time to talk and enjoy the wine.

Rafael was impressed with Auden’s wealth of knowledge. Rafael was cultured, but Auden was on a whole different level. She knew about art, history, musicals, literature, etc. Like the night before he found himself completely focused on her. 

After dinner Auden was shocked to find that their next stop was a bowling alley. She had told him that she couldn’t bowl in a dress; he implied that she was scared of losing and that was when both of their competitive natures came out to play. Rafael pretended to be upset when she beat him, but he had to admit that a woman as headstrong as her was a turn on. He had to keep reminding himself that he does not attempt to sleep with women on the first date. Auden kept doing little things that made him want to throw his etiquette out the door. Rafael didn’t know that Auden was experiencing the same struggle.

Auden was trying to keep her cool, but every time Rafael casually touched her or spoke Spanish she could feel her composure falter. Auden knew if he kept it up he could have her however he wished. The cab ride home was noticeably tense for the both of them. Rafael could see that Auden was on edge and he reached out to grab her hand. He felt her shiver at his touch and knew that it wasn’t from disgust. 

When they arrived at Auden’s apartment Rafael got out of the cab to walk her up to her door. Auden turned to Rafael as she got to the top of the stairs. 

“I hope I’m not wrong when I say this, but if I am please don’t hesitate to let me know.” Auden said.

“Do I seem like the type to be quiet about that sort of thing?” Rafael asked.

“I suppose not. So, I think that we both want you to come upstairs right now and I think that we both want each other physically in a very bad way.” Auden paused and searched Rafael’s face for any sign he was uncomfortable. When she didn’t find any she continued. “I also believe that we both know that might not be the best time to give into those desires.” 

Rafael nodded and said, “I agree with you. It’s been a long time since I’ve found myself in the position of wanting to pursue something that is not purely physical.” 

“I get that. I just recently got out of a friends with benefits situation. It’s left me with some hang ups about sex that I’m in the process of working through.” Auden felt vulnerable opening up about her sex life, but it was a comfortable vulnerability that she wasn’t used to. 

“I assume that now is not the time to ask you for more details on that?” The left corner of Rafael’s mouth tilted up and he put his hands in his pocket. 

“I have time if you’ve got the money to pay the cab that’s waiting on you.” Auden smirked when his head spun back to check on the cab driver that he had forgotten was there. 

“Right. I should be going then. Tonight was something else. Thank you.” Rafael took his hands out of his pockets and took her hands in his. 

“I should be thanking you, Mr. Barba. You are the one who is something else.” Auden said before she leaned down to kiss Rafael. 

Before their lips met, Rafael moved his left hand to cover the right side of her face. His hand moved around to grasp her neck and pull her face down to his. The kiss was more spectacular than any kiss Auden had been given before. Her body shivered involuntarily when she felt Rafael’s tongue brush her bottom lip. The moan she let out gave him the perfect opportunity to deepen the kiss. Auden broke off the kiss before it caused her to change her mind about the rule they had just established. 

Rafael was both disappointed and relieved when Auden pulled away. “Good night, Auden.” 

“Will you text me when you get back so I know you made it okay?” Auden asked. 

“I will.” Rafael gave her a peck on the cheek and walked down to the cab. 

Auden waited until the cab was out of her sight before she went into her building. She spent the elevator ride bracing herself for the interrogation that was waiting in her apartment. Auden was slightly disappointed when she opened the door to a dark apartment. She turned on the lights, closed the door, kicked her heels off, and shed her coat. When she set her keys down on the table they have by the door she noticed a note from Carmen saying that she went out for wine and that she’d be back soon to hear all about the night. Auden smiled at Carmen’s handwritten note. She was one of the few people who still hand wrote things instead of messaging. Auden’s phone rang from her purse. She had hoped it was Carmen so she could request a Snickers from the store. Auden opened her purse, pulled out her phone, and grimaced at the name she saw on the screen. It was her ex friend with benefits. Auden swiped to ignore the call. After the night she had with Rafael she just didn’t really feel like talking to Sonny Carisi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short update. There will be more to come very soon.


End file.
